To Be King or Not To Be King
by Mia Skywalker
Summary: A snippet fic that explains why Vegeta always calls himself the 'Prince' of the Saiyans, and never the 'King'.


TITLE: To Be King or Not To Be King....  
AUTHORS: Mia Skywalker, Wataruo  
GENRE: Dragonball Z  
CHARACTERS: Vegeta & Bulma  
WARNINGS: None.  
C&C: Yes  
SUMMARY: Why Vegeta always calls himself the 'Prince' of the Saiyans, and never the 'King'.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, Shawna doesn't own these characters, I wish we did, but they're owned by Toei, FUNimation and Viz, and created by Akira Toriyama. We make no profit off these fics, they're just for fun, yadda yadda yadda.  
NOTE: This is a snippet fic, that means it doesn't really have a beginning or end. There won't be a continuation of this, it's just a little snippet that we wrote as sort of a theory that we'd had.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta stormed up the stairs to his room, absolutely furious. To think that everyone seemed to be gaining new abilities but himself infuriated that Saiyan prince to no end. The fact that Urd claimed that she couldn't give him this third mystical eye everyone else seemed to have, just because he was Saiyan, ticked him off. Vegeta opened his bedroom door, slammed it, and then stalked across the room to plop down on his bed. ::There is a bright side to the situation:: he thought with a smirk. ::At least that idiot Kakarotto can't get one either.:: He laughed aloud. ::There still may be a chance for me to defeat him.::  
  
Bulma entered the room quietly, following him. She saw him sitting down on the bed, his head in his hands. She'd heard a brief, mirthless laugh before she'd opened the door, and wondered what he was thinking. She remembered the brief flash of pain that she'd seen in his eyes and felt in his heart, and wondered what it was from. "Vegeta?" she asked quietly, concern in her voice. "What's wrong?"  
  
"You are getting better, woman," he said not lifting his head from his hands. "I didn't even hear you come in. Maybe you have some Saiyan in you after all." Vegeta had heard the concern in his mate's voice and regretted not telling her what was bothering him. He lifted his head and looked up at her. "Come here," he said holding out one of his hands.  
  
She sat down next to him, taking his hand. She frowned at him as she sat down on the bed. "Vegeta, something's wrong, isn't it? Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?" She arched a brow at him. She was tempted to tease him that she could just pull it out of his mind, but sensed that this wasn't the right time to do that.  
  
He snorted. "Woman, you would never guess in a million years." He sighed and tightened his fingers around hers. "The only good thing about this entire situation," he remarked, "is that Kakarotto can't power up either." He laughed again, still sounding bitter. "That will make defeating him a bit easier wouldn't you say?"  
  
She drew a breath sharply, her eyes widening. "I thought you... I thought you'd promised me that you wouldn't kill him, Vegeta." Her hand shook slightly, at a sudden wrenching sense of loss. "Please, don't kill him. You don't have to prove anything anymore, Vegeta. It doesn't matter who is the strongest anymore, does it?"  
  
"It's nothing quite so simple as that." Vegeta looked up into her eyes. "I suppose I shouldn't blame him," he said, his tone thoughtful. "That baka had no idea what he did when he killed Freezer instead of letting me do it."  
  
Bulma was suddenly confused. "What he did? Freezer was going to destroy everything! Including Earth! Of course Goku wanted to protect it. He *had* to kill Freezer. Freezer had already killed everyone else, everyone that you hadn't already killed...."  
  
"Freezer killed my father, Bulma," he interrupted impatiently. It occurred to him that Bulma had no idea about Saiyan laws and sighed. "I suppose I need to explain this to you. So you will understand. My desire to kill Kakarotto has nothing to do with the fact that he is stronger that me." He raised an eyebrow at her startled expression. "Yes, woman, I can admit that. However, this is something you can keep between us."  
  
She nodded, wondering what he was getting at. He was admitting that Goku was stronger? But wasn't that the whole point of why he was always training, to prove himself the strongest in the universe? She'd always thought that his pride would never allow him to admit, even to himself, that someone could be stronger. She'd believed it was that pride that made him always want to defeat Goku. Maybe that wasn't it at all?  
  
"You see, for me to become the King of Vegeta-sei I would have to kill my father when the time comes." Vegeta watched her face carefully for any reaction. "That is the way we have been doing this for years. The son would kill the father in order to inherit the throne. Unfortunately for me, Freezer killed my father while I was still a child. Saiyan law dictates that since my father was dead, I would have to defeat his killer before I could ever hope to rule." He shook his head. "So you see, when Kakarotto killed Freezer, destroying my chance to kill my father's killer, it was transferred to him. I would now have to kill Kakarotto to become king."  
  
Bulma gasped. She'd started to think that his anger at Goku stemmed from a desire for vengeance thwarted. When he'd mentioned Freezer killing his father, she thought that maybe he'd wanted revenge on Freezer, but when Goku had killed him, he'd lost his chance and had become angry with Goku. Now she understood that it was more, far more, than she could have imagined. "Do you... do you just have to defeat him, or do you have to kill him?" she asked in a small voice. She had the feeling that the answer wasn't going to be one that she would like to hear.  
  
"To become King I have to kill him. Or I stay a prince for the rest of my life," Vegeta stated matter-of-factly, with a slight bitter tone to his voice. "Though there doesn't seem to be much point to that now, does there? Considering that Vegeta-sei no longer exists."  
  
"Oh, Vegeta!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she threw her arms around him. Suddenly she understood the pain she'd seen in him earlier. He was too proud to give up his title, even without a planet to rule. "Isn't there anything you can do?" she asked tearfully, her voice muffled against his shoulder.  
  
Vegeta held Bulma against him and sighed. "I suppose as long as I just defeat him, I might get around killing that baka." He lifted his hand up to stroke her hair. It was somewhat comforting to the warrior that Bulma understood his dilemma. "I am open for suggestions. I really don't want to kill Kakarotto either. It would be a waste."  
  
"A waste?" Bulma pulled back, looking at him in confusion, her face wet with tears. "But I thought you hated him. Don't you?"  
  
"If I kill Kakarotto, who will I rule?" he asked with a grin.  
  
Bulma blinked. She hadn't considered that. There weren't too many Saiyans left, were there? There was Goku and Gohan, and there was his own son, but.... There really weren't many Saiyans left. She sniffled again. "If you can't ever be king, then that means you're the last Prince, doesn't it?"  
  
Vegeta swallowed and pulled Bulma against him. "Yes," he said as he buried his face into her hair. "Yes it does."  
  
Bulma held him tightly, her face buried against his shoulder again. She could feel the pain he was feeling; she knew how much this hurt him. She pulled back from his shoulder and kissed him gently on the cheek. "I'm so sorry, Vegeta. I'm sorry that things couldn't be as... as they should have been." Tears were still streaming from her eyes. "I wish things could have worked out for you the way they should have." She reached up and stroked his cheek tenderly. "But if they had... you and I might not ever have met," she said softly. "I know things might have been better for you, had you lived there, but... but to me, you'll always be my Prince, planet or no planet."  
  
Vegeta cupped Bulma's face with his hands and brushed the tears away with his thumbs. He leaned towards her, rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "Thank you," he said softly. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that."  
  
Bulma nodded. It didn't seem to her that she'd done anything special. "Vegeta, are you ever going to tell Goku or any of the others about this? It might help them, maybe, to understand you...."  
  
"I don't need them to understand me." His tone was suspiciously defensive. "I need you to understand me," he said as he looked over shoulder, focusing on a spot on the wall behind her. "I couldn't care less what others think of me."  
  
She nodded hesitantly. She wasn't really sure why he didn't want everyone else to know about this, but she suspected that pride might be part of it. "Vegeta, it doesn't matter to me if you're a prince, or a king, or just a farmer. It's you that I care about, not a title." She sighed, and leaned on him thoughtfully. "But wouldn't it make things easier on you, if they know...?"  
  
"Easier?" One black eyebrow arched. Vegeta turned back to look into her eyes. "I don't think that they would be as understanding as you are." He shook his head and sighed. "It really doesn't matter."  
  
"As understanding?" She was confused for a moment, and then her face relaxed into a smile. "I think you might underestimate them, Vegeta. If I know Goku, he might even offer to let you kill him, as long as he could get wished back by the dragonballs." She sighed. "But if you don't want to tell them, then you don't have to." She touched his hand gently. "I do love you, Vegeta." She wasn't about to tell him that just because *he* didn't want to tell them didn't mean that she wouldn't. But she'd bide her time and find the right time to bring it up, when Vegeta wasn't around.  
  
::Why is it every time I hear her say that my insides turn to mush?:: he wondered as he gazed into her eyes. She had more power over him than anyone he had ever encountered. Bulma had almost no ki to speak of, yet she could bring this warrior to his knees by saying three words. ::It's worth it though:: he thought as he gazed into her eyes. But he would never admit as much to her, not in a million years. "Hmmm, shows what good sense you have," he replied and bent his head to kiss her passionately.  
  
She closed her eyes and melted into his kiss for several long moments, and then her eyes opened as she suddenly remembered something. "Vegeta," she murmured, trying to pull away. When he insistently pulled his mouth against hers again, she sighed and pulled away more forcefully. "Vegeta, I am *not* happy with you right now!" She glared at him, trying to be angry, but realized that this last conversation had defused much of her anger. Still, she didn't want to let him know that *quite* yet. He needed to learn to control his violent tendencies, and she would do whatever it took to teach him. Well, *almost* whatever it took, at least.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Vegeta asked, frowning at her. "What major crime have I committed now?"  
  
Bulma rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh, I see. So destroying my house AND my workshed is something I should just ignore, is it?" She glared at him even more fiercely. "Vegeta, you could have *killed* someone with your wanton destruction! You're so worried about me getting hurt, well, you could have hurt me *and* the baby! You could have hurt Muri's baby! And at the very least, even though no one *luckily* got hurt this time, you completely *destroyed* my workshed! Do you have any idea how many hours of work that would have taken to get back again, if Urd hadn't reconstructed it? How many months? Some of it would have been irretrievable! There are one-of-a-kind prototypes in there! I have state-of-the-art burglary detectors and traps in there, and it's not proof against Saiyan destructiveness!"  
  
Vegeta eyed Bulma cautiously before replying. She did have a point. He had put her at risk, her and his unborn son. Something in his stomach clenched at the thought. "I guess you're right," he said slowly. "I did put you and Trunks at risk didn't I?" He frowned. No, Vegeta didn't like that at all. "I suppose I should think before I act, hmmm."  
  
Bulma blinked. She hadn't expected Vegeta to capitulate so easily, and it appeased her anger much more quickly than she'd expected. "Really?" she asked in surprise. "You'll really be more careful from now on?" Then she considered for a moment, and continued in a slightly cynical tone. "Or are you just saying that to try to get me to not be angry with you?"  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes heavenward. "I swear, woman, you have a suspicious mind." He gave a very Saiyan-like snort. "I hope you know by now that I would never do anything to hurt you. Or the brat." He placed his hand on her still flat stomach. He smiled suddenly. "He really is my son. He acts like me."  
  
She blinked, trying to figure out for a moment what he was talking about, and then she smiled. "Oh, Trunks? You mean you noticed?" She snorted as well. "What gave it away? The lack of trust? His impulsiveness? The fact that he jumps to conclusions without thinking things through? His mule-headedness? Or was it just his general bad temper and big mouth?" When he looked at her like he was about to argue, she leaned forward and whispered with her lips almost touching his, "I think it's how incredibly handsome and sexy he is, myself."  
  
With a speed that was unnatural for any other being other than a Saiyan, Vegeta had Bulma sitting on his lap and was kissing her fiercely before she knew what hit her. "Kami, I love you," he whispered against her mouth.  
  
~~OWARI~~  
  
Note: We aren't going to be continuing this, it's just a snippet. But we thought a few people might enjoy it nonetheless.  
  



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